The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled against a paid advertisement published by BetVictor on the social media platform Facebook. The Gibraltar-based gambling firm was found guilty of breaching the CAP Code by featuring images of popular footballers that might appeal to minors. The ad first appeared earlier this year in January and contained images of left-back Jordi Alba Ramos and defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets, both of whom play for the La Liga football club Barcelona.
When confronted about the paid ad, the gambling firm responded it had adopted various procedures that aim to ensure its marketing materials did not breach the advertising codes. The company also noted that code guidelines state that when people or characters were used to represent subjects of strong appeal to minors, the watchdog could not treat their connection to the subject as a sole basis for breaching the code. BetVictor explained that while FC Barcelona was indeed a top-level team, the club’s players were not particularly popular in the UK.
BetVictor Argued Alba and Busquets Are Not ‘High-Risk’ Players
The two footballers featured in the paid ad cannot be labelled ‘high-risk’ as per code guidance, the betting firm argued, because they are not as popular as other football players like Ronaldo, Xavi, Messi, Benzema, or Mbappe. Busquets and Alba belong to the ‘medium-risk’ category, according to BetVictor, as neither of them has ever netted a goal against a British football club. The two footballers have not participated in major clashes against EPL teams in the past four years, either.
Busquets and Alba’s latest appearances on the field did not occur in matches against Welsh or English teams. The betting firm went on to say that Spain last faced England on the field back in 2018, at a time when Alba was not part of the team. Spain’s national team lifted the World Cup over a decade ago in 2010 and won the European Cup in 2012. All viewers who witnessed those victories or liked those players at the time have probably reached the legal gambling age by now, according to the company.
BetVictor also explained the two footballers were not very active on social media, particularly on platforms like TikTok or Snapchat which enjoy greater popularity with minors. They preferred using Twitter instead, but either posted rarely or their tweets were in languages other than English. The betting company also referred to SEO data which indicated that neither Alba nor Busquets are among the top-searched footballers on Google in the UK, especially when compared to the likes of Mbappe, Ronaldo, and Messi.
The gambling operator also stressed that the Facebook post in question did not contain any links to gambling sites or phrasing that might prompt people to place bets. The company opted to pay for the publication to ensure it only reached Facebook users who were at least 25 years old.
ASA Rejected BetVictor’s Arguments and Labelled the Ad ‘Irresponsible’
The advertising watchdog rejected these arguments, insisting that FC Barcelona is indeed a top-flight football team and part of Spain’s professional top division La Liga. Barcelona could be easily categorised as a top club under the advertising code’s guidance. The regulatory body pointed out Busquets headed the team as a captain when the paid ad was first published at the beginning of the year. He and Alba also competed for Spain’s national team, which further added to their popularity.
Both footballers appeared on the field during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which took place only a couple of months before the paid post’s publication. All these factors contributed to their ‘star’ status, which in turn rendered them appealing in the eyes of the underage audience. Furthermore, the paid post was published on Facebook, where age verification procedures are laxer since account holders self-verify upon registration. As a result, ASA determined the company could not have properly excluded minors from seeing the paid ad, labelled it ‘irresponsible’, and ruled it must not be reposted in its current form.
- Author
Daniel Williams
